The Rush in the Mansion
by Toxinator
Summary: Roxas falls victim to his madness one time after another, slowly killing off the people who used to be his "friends." But one survived, and now, he is seeking revenge against the one who tried to kill him.   Non-romance.


_This is only one chapter long, a hit or miss, if you will._

_This is the first time I've published something like this, although I've written plenty other things similar that went unpublished._

_If you don't like death, blood, murder, violence, etc. then I must ask you to leave._

_There is no romance, only violence._

_Enjoy._

_|| I do not own Kingdom Hearts in any way. ||  
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><p>He fell to his knees, hands grasping his head desperately. His mind was reeling, so many thoughts but yet no thoughts at all, just running in and out, in and out over and over again. He was a mess, shaking and rocking himself slightly back and forth in an unconscious attempt to console himself. Nothing seemed to be working to cure his fit of madness, not the solitude, not the company, not even pain. He closed his eyes tightly, trying hard to make the madness go away.<p>

But in an instant, seen as a white flash in his mind, Roxas rose from the floor. His face was clean of any trace of emotion, but yet had every single human feeling written on it. His mind was clear, with only one focus. He picked up the phone at his side and called Axel, Larxene, Vexen, and Marluxia. He told them all to meet him in the haunted mansion inside of the Twilight Town woods in thirty minutes, and that it was urgent, only an inch away from becoming an emergency.

That, of course, was a lie.

Roxas snapped his phone shut, and exited his home quietly, without even slipping on any footwear. So he walked the streets of a darkened city bare, into the woods and into the mansion, where he awaited the arrival of the four friends he had called. Soon enough, they all made their appearance. Axel had been the first, followed by Vexen. Marluxia and Larxene came as a pair, as they usually did at any other given event. Larxene, naturally, demanded and explanation as soon as she laid eyes on Roxas's face.

"I needed to talk to you guys about the strange things that have been happening to me," He said. "I called everyone else, but they didn't answer..."

"Maybe they were the smart ones," Axel said under his breath, the others following his response with a giggle. But Roxas would not allow comedy into his affair. He had a plan, and he needed to be ruthless about it.

"Ive been seeing things," He stated loudly, drawing all attention back to himself. He explained. "They're white monsters that chase me, and whenever they appear time stops, and everyone around me is frozen besides those white things and myself. I don't know what it all means,"

"I just think you're paranoid," Marluxia said, yawning and ruffling his pink hair. "If those things really existed anyway, I'm sure someone would have seen them by now, Roxas,"

"Well, even if I _am _only paranoid, how would you explain time freezing everyone?"

"Are you sure this was real, and not just a nightmare you suffered?" Vexen said. He was beginning to analyze Roxas, and he knew it. He had to regain control from Vexen, he had the playing cards.

"Im positive, Vexen. Trust me, I dont know-"

"I just think you're crazy," Axel said, cutting off Roxas. Normally, Roxas would have just continued his sentence, but that was normally. This time, Roxas had a plan. And Axel played right into it. Roxas paused, grinning in his silence. The rest had their eyes on him, waiting, and ominous air floating about. Something was very wrong, Axel could sense it.

"You know what, Axel?" He began. "I...I think you are right. In fact," Roxas snapped his head up from the hanging position it had fallen to, his blue eyes piercing. "I _know _you're right. And do you know why? Oh, Ill tell you why. It's because I have made myself crazy, psycho, even. Did you even know that stuff was possible? Making yourself crazy? Well, it is! It is..." Roxas paused, and paced back and forth on the cold, debris-scattered ground. He had a hint of laughter in his tone, but he meant to keep it down, for now. "It's all in the mind," He pointed at his head viciously, eyes widened. "If you think something hard enough, and make yourself _believe _in what you think, you then see that it's real! I made myself crazy, after years of trying, wanting, wanting, trying to be insane Ive finally done it, ha ha!" He let go of his laughter, and let himself writhe with pleasure at his freedom. His friends looked on, afraid and confused.

"Roxas-" Axel reached out and whispered his name, but Roxas shut him off.

_"Stop!"_ His loud voice echoed, and once it vanished he continued. "I don't need your condolences, Axel. I wanted to be this way, and you know what?" He paced to the front door, all eyes following, and stuck a stray pipe through the handles, then taking a sledgehammer he brought one day, smashed the metal inward, blocking their way of retreat. He turned around when he was done, a dark stare in his eyes. He dropped the hammer, and bent down slightly to pick up a shining item from the dusty floor. The light from the full moon outside reflected off of its sharp, metal blade like a death sentence.

Larxene backed up as Roxas came closer. She hid behind a glass case, and Marluxia followed her. Axel also backed away, but not Vexen, he stayed where he was, staring Roxas in the eyes as he approached.

"You have valor," Roxas said, feet away from Vexen's person. "I donkt know whether or not to praise you," There was a shrill scream from Larxene, and then a painful moaning. "or, kill you." Roxas watched as he pulled his knife from Vexen's stomach, and as his victim fell to the ground with a thud. Vexen was gasping, and holding his wound as he writhed on the ground. The puddle of dark crimson grew only larger and larger underneath him, and soon it was seeping through Roxas's toes. In bliss Roxas raised his head, taking in a big sniff of air and letting it out with a grin on his maniacal face. It was such a good feeling, to kill. It was such a feeling, such a _rush._

"You..." Larxene whispered from behind him, breaking Roxas's fantasy. He turned quickly, eyes landing right on her pretty. Little. Face. Her eyes grew wide when she saw the look he had, but kept up her courage. "You're a monster," She said. "A _monster!"_ She was whimpering, trying to hide behind Marluxia, who was trying to hide behind her, yet protect her at the same time. But Roxas said nothing, only approached her quietly. Marluxia jumped in front of him, arms out, blocking him from Larxene's reach.

"I am not going to let you harm her," He said. Unlike Roxas's blank and piercing eyes, Marluxia had the look of determination in his. Nonetheless, Roxas showed no mercy. He plunged the knife he held right into the chest of the pink-haired boy, causing blood to rush onto his hand and trickle to the floor, splashing onto his feet. The rush came again. Roxas had pierced him right through the heart, and he fell dead on the floor once the knife was removed. Larxene was now screaming, crying, blindly looking around with tears in her eyes. She was genuinely afraid. Again, there was no mercy when it came to killing her, too. Roxas simply took the knife, backed Larxene into a corner, grabbed her by the back of the head, watched her suffer during her last moments, and slit her throat with the blade without an effort. She made awful gargles as she fell, trying to stop her bleeding. Blood splashed onto Roxas's white and gray pajamas, staining his clothes and his body.

It was silent for a long time, as Roxas retraced his kills, and checked to make sure they were really dead by stabbing them and looking for a reaction. When none of them reacted to his stabs, he wiped the knife off on his shirt, cleaning it of the blood. But he knew his job wasn't done. There was a witness, after all. A tall, spiky, red-headed witness, who had been watching from the back of the room. But when Roxas approached him, unlike the others, Axel's eyes did not contain fear. Instead, they held blistering anger, sadness, emotionlessness, and disbelief.

"Axel," He said, slowly taking soundless steps forward. "I...have always had a special place in my heart for you. But, I'm sure you know that. Right?"

"Why did you kill our friends?" Axel dodged the question, and said his like a demand. But Roxas did not answer straight away.

"Friends?" He said, blankly. "Ha! Friends? You call them your friends? I thought you were higher than that, Axel." Roxas looked him straight in the eye, beginning to circle around him. He knew that the comment he just made had hit Axel hard, but that was only the beginning.

"Tell me why you killed them at all, then, Roxas."

"Because they were back-stabbing, ignorant, cold and heartless human beings, with no sympathy in their being for any_one _or any_thing._ For all of the sorrow they have caused, they _deserved _to die!"

"And what about you, hm?" That caught Roxas off-guard. He had lost control again, letting his tongue work before his brain. Now, he was stuck.

"I don't know what you mean-"

"Don't give me that bullshit, you know. You caused them suffering before they died, and now you're causing their families pain and suffering, and all of their friends will suffer, everyone who thought they were close to Larxene and Marluxia and Vexen, all of them will suffer, Roxas! How are you any different from them? Answer me, Roxas, answer me!" But Roxas was still. All of his control of the plan was gone, over one slip of the tongue. Now Axel was making the moves, Axel was becoming the bigger opponent. And there was only one way to get out of the situation, in the mind of Roxas. And in a flash, it happened.

"Dammit, Roxas, give me an answer, will 'ya-"

A gasp.

The blood.

The pain.

The rush.

A victim.

Axel was on the ground, staring up with dying eyes at Roxas, who stood above him with his arms holding the knife down in Axel's body. Yes, the knife was still there, still wriggling around inside of his being, making his wound greater and greater. And when the pain lessened, Roxas took the knife with one hand and yanked it free with a fast swipe, causing Axel to cry out. Roxas watched over him as he bled out. His face was getting paler and paler, but he was fighting. Axel reached out to Roxas, trying to lift himself from the ground. But he did not succeed, not even barely. He kept saying Roxas's name like it was a curse, or a lament. And before Roxas was to turn and leave the scene of the crime, he bent down on a knee and spoke to Axel once more.

"Axel, I am sorry this had to happen. I was going to ask you to join me, but...as you can see, that is not going to happen..." He was whispering in his ear, and then looking into his magnificent green eyes, Roxas said the words, "I'm sorry," and dragged the tip of his razor-sharp knife down a small portion of Axel's face, right under both of his eyes. He made sure the wounds were deep enough to bleed, and when enough blood had been spilled from his once-best-friend, the boy rose from his knees and exited the mansion through the back end, Axel left for dead.

But the red-headed teen continued to battle for his life, dragging himself over to Marluxia, whom Axel had seen move right after Roxas's exit. They were both too weak to speak, instead, they grabbed one another's hands and let death come quietly, smoothly, beautifully.

But the horror did not stop after those deaths. Everyone was being picked off, one by one.

Demyx.

Zexion.

Xigbar.

Lexaeus.

Luxord.

Xemnas.

Saiix.

Xaldin.

All of them, all of Roxas's friends, they all died in that mansion.

One. By. One.

Three years have since passed, and Roxas was preparing to move out of his home and into a new one with his lover, a pretty young girl by the name of Naminé. She knew nothing about Roxas's murders, or how mad he had made his mind. Hell, he was never even a murder _suspect, _so how would he expect anyone to think that he was behind the infamous Mansion Murders? But he let most of his bewilderment about the case in the back of his mind.

Although, one thing always puzzled him. When news about the murders came to the public eye, it was after all of Roxas's "friends" had disappeared. The news reported the finding of eleven corpses in total, most of which, minors. And that is where the mystery was. There was supposed to be _twelve _bodies, not just eleven. And he had never scattered, nor buried any of the bodies, and no animals had been eating away at them in the mansion, from what Roxas could recall. And he had never paid attention to the body count whenever he returned there, so he could not be 100% sure. Yes, he had left Axel alive, but barely. And who was to say that there was another one of them who was just so close to death that they could no longer feel pain? Numbness equates to loss of blood, so it made sense.

But...who could have escaped?

"Roxas," It was Naminé. Roxas turned to see the beautiful blonde-haired girl smiling behind him, a box in her arms. "Could you open the door for me? I want to fit this last box in before we leave,"

"Of course," The car door was opened, and Naminé crawled inside to place her box awkwardly on the inside. After that, they checked her room for the last time to make sure there were no items of her's left behind, and they drove off for their apartment. Unpacking was almost as strenuous as packing everything had been, but after enough boxes were unloaded, Naminé began to unpack some of them and place the objects where they belonged (earlier, they had decided to each have their own rooms in the two bedroom apartment, just so they could have space, so Naminé was unpacking and putting things away in her own room).

"Naminé," Roxas called out her name as he loaded the last box inside.

"Hm?"

"I'm going back to my place to get some of the last things I left there, Ill be back in a few minutes."

"Okay, be safe!" She called after him, putting something down as she rushed out to give him a quick hug and kiss goodbye.

"I will," And so began his drive across town.

But Roxas had lied.

He wasn't going back to his parent's house, to his old house. He was going by the mansion. Yes, the same mansion he had killed twelve people in those short years ago. Only, now, the bodies had been cleared, although the bloodstains still remained. Amazing how the CSI would take the bodies and whatever evidence they could find, but they left all of the victim's blood...

Roxas spent quite a time just wandering about the scene. He looked down at the blood, getting down on his knees and imagining the fresh kills. He sighed, and then laughed, remembering what his parents and school had said to him.

_"Roxas, we have taken notice that the people you hang around, your friends, have all been disappearing. We...still haven't found any of them, and at the rate this seems to be going, we are becoming increasingly concerned with your safety. Yes, we have told the friends of yours who are left, but some of their parents only think we are being paranoid, and see no threat. Well, we have thought that moving you from this school into an independent study program...you would visit an assigned teacher once a week at a certain time and correct the past week's work, take the required tests, and then receive work for the following week. We think this may help keep you and your friends from harm's way. Of course, this is also your parent's decision..."_

And they had chosen to take Roxas out of school and try the independent study program. But, Roxas continued to ask his friends to meet him. They were still disappearing, and Roxas even went as far as to hide away in the mansion for three days with whatever he needed to survive, but came back with a self-inflicted wound across his chest, bloody clothes, greasy hair and skin, and tired eyes marred by fear. He was passed off as a "survivor," and only a day afterward the rest of the murders were found. He was never a major suspect, and was only questioned.

Now, Roxas held the scar of that wound. It was prominent with its pinkish tint, a crude mark from the top of his right bicep, trailing down his breastbone and stopping at the end of it. But, he was proud of his accomplishment.

"Very proud indeed,"

When Roxas returned, he carried with him only one large box, containing a few shirts and other articles of clothing. Naminé welcomed him home calmly, having her room in mid-organization, and working on the organization of the rest of the house. They had a bookshelf, a rug, and an old white pleather couch they had found as teens on the side of the road for free. Plates and silverware needed to be purchased, which they did right after the house was decently put away.

And, things pursued nicely afterward. When Roxas was alone, and he knew he was alone for a long time, he would go into fits of blind madness, pacing back and forth, scratching his arm fast enough to make it welt and nearly bleed. But he had some control, he couldn't let Naminé know of his madness. She would have him see somebody, and that's when crap would hit the fan. Nonetheless, he needed a way to be ridden of his madness, and if this was the only current way to do it without killing, then so be it.

x ::-:: x

_Three years ago; during the first Mansion Murders._

As he held hands with his friend, he watched as their eyes closed and his breathing stopped. His feminine and catlike features were peaceful, even when he was surrounded and soaked in his own blood. Now, there was only one man left alive in a dark room of three dead friends. Whimpering softly, he could feel his heart pulsing, and blood slowly spilling from beneath him. He had flipped himself belly-down, only causing himself greater pain from his wound.

_How could I still be living? _He would ask himself. _After taking the blow I did, how is living still possible?_

But he continued with these thoughts after the door in which he saw his murderer leave. If only he could build up enough strength...

_No,_ he thought, reasoning with himself. _If I stay in here, and hope for the best, I could either die where I lay or live for another day._ He cried out softly, forcing himself onto his backside. He heard the splash of blood as his shoulders hit the ground, the cold blood soaking his shirt further. Trying his very hardest to remain awake, to try and live, he waited.

The morning came, and he awoke with a startled joy. The light was shining through the window, and he was alive. But his heart was torn to pieces when he laid eyes on his friends, one of which having their eyes wide open and staring at him. They were all covered in blood, he was soaked in it, they all had been. The floor was coated in a crimson blanket, most of it surrounding his late companions. He covered his mouth in the horror of the scene, and slowly worked himself into a position away from them. But he spent another full day and night inside of the mansion, hoping to whatever God there was that his attempted murderer would not return. He needed to heal, and if he could just have one more day's time to do so, he could leave and become a survivor.

_I can't tell them the story,_ His mind spoke for him. _It would be better to bide time, instead, maybe even get revenge for what he is doing to me, and to the rest of them..._ And that is what he did. He waited another full day before repositioning himself the next day. The room had begun to reek, and he needed to leave. Regardless of the conditions of his wounds, he deducted it would be unhealthy to stay in the mansion any longer than he already had. With much pain, he stood and pushed open the back door, closing it behind him. He felt his wound open, only slightly, and he begun to bleed once more. Calming his body, he set out for the back alleys of Twilight Town, and eventually found his way home.

He did not tell the story to the public. He wanted to be taken from the school system, and so he was. He did not want his story to be let out, and it wasn't. He did not want to go into public as often as he used to, and he didn't. He would see no visitors. As far as his parents were concerned, he was dead. His life was secluded by his own choice, but he watched his attempted murderer walk the streets of the city from his window.

Revenge would be no easy game, and everything had to be planned. But he wasn't used to plans. He would need to be extremely careful, and so he was. Waiting and watching for three years, he placed himself right in the middle of his murderer's world, right where everything happened. And soon, his plan was to be executed. And revenge would ensue.

x ::-:: x

_Current; three years after the Mansion Murders._

A full six months had passed since Naminé and Roxas moved in together. They were occasionally visited by Hayner, Sora, Riku, and whoever else found their address. They had all seemed to be living life well, especially Hayner, who had been spending most of his time becoming the "Undefeated" Struggle champion. But one day, everything flew out the window in a matter of hours.

Roxas was returning home from work, a late shift. Naminé was at home, probably waiting in the living area for her lover. The car was in the shared garage like it was supposed to be, and everything was going like it was a regular night. Only, when Roxas entered his home, he found the television on, and no Naminé. He looked in her room, she wasn't there. She wasn't in his room, either. Neither was she in the kitchen, or laying on the couch. Nor was she in the shower or restroom. Roxas came to the conclusion that she had gone out for a walk with one of their neighbors, or maybe Olette had come by and taken Naminé by surprise on a trip to the mall. Whatever it was, he was not worried. Not until the next morning, when his beloved girl had not yet returned home. He called up Hayner, Kairi, Olette, everyone he could think of.

None of them had seen her.

He called Naminé's boss, but she had not been to work.

"What is going on...?" But Roxas had no time for thoughts like these. He readied himself for the day, and went to work as usual, and put on his friendly face as usual.

"Yeah, I would like to file a missing person report," Roxas was in his living room, alone, on the phone with the police station. A person has to be gone for 48 hours before a missing person report can be filed, and Naminé had been gone without word for 72 hours. Now, Roxas was in a mild panic, on the verge of a breakdown. Hopefully, talking to police about her missing would prove helpful. He was asked to describe her. "Uh, she has blonde hair, blue eyes. Caucasian. Um...stands at about five one, five two, weighs around one hundred an' ten pounds, possibly lighter...She's nineteen years old, her birthday's in two months, on the fourth. Name's Naminé...Naminé Disney. I am, uh, I'm her boyfriend, hopefully, soon to be her fiancé...Yes, my name is Roxas McCartney..." The report questions were asked and answered until all was done, and the station said that if any news about her whereabouts were found, Roxas would be the first to know.

But that did not ease his pain. He sat in the darkness of his room, wishing for sleep or relief of some kind, but not getting it.

"What am I doing...?" He asked himself one night later. "I never meant to fall in love...now look at me...! I'm falling apart over this girl, I never meant for this to happen..." His voice faded to a whisper, and his normal madness was replaced with depression. Never before had he been so concerned for another human being.

Another three days went by, and when Roxas had worked up enough courage to step into Naminé's room once again, on her pillow he saw a neat paper, with no folds. It was in Naminé's hand writting. Roxas's eyes widened as he snatched the paper, reading the words. Only, there were no words. It was instead a jumble of letters, making no sense. Angered, he crumpled it up and threw it on the ground. But for the next day, that wad of paper would only be staring at him, wanting him to open it and figure out what it really was. Then, finally, news came.

"Hello?" Roxas answered the phone.

"Yes, Roxas McCartney?"

"Yes, this is him."

"We have found your missing person, Naminé Disney," He shot up from his seat, nearly knocking back his chair.

"You have? Oh, thank God..." He silently praised the gods, and then continued. "Where is she now?"

"Well, Mr. McCartney..." His heart skipped a beat. Something was wrong. The woman on the other end was hesitant, trying not to be heartless, he knew it. Then, she said the words he was praying he would not hear. "She...Naminé has sadly passed away," He was silent. The woman waited.

"How...?" He sniffed, tears building up in his eyes. "Where was she found?"

"Mr. McCartney, I think it's better for you to come down to the station, we can explain everything to you here." And so Roxas jumped in the car and drove to the station, continually wiping his eyes of the tears that had not yet fallen. When he arrived, he slammed the door to his car and rushed inside, naming himself and having only a short wait prior to seeing an officer. Obviously, the woman on the phone was not authorized to tell him what had happened.

"Mr. McCartney, why don't you have a seat. Don't worry, we're not here to question you, only to tell you what has happened. Now, we understand that you filed a missing person report about two weeks ago?"

"Yes," Roxas sniffed and sighed.

"Well, this morning she was found, but she had already passed when we got to her. Been passed for three days or so. Now," He paused, sincerity entering his voice. "Mr. McCartney, this may shock you, but we are obligated to tell you what we know. Naminé Disney was found dead in the old Twilight Town mansion, murdered in the same fashion as the Mansion Murder victims of three years ago." His heart stopped. The world froze. He was the Mansion Murderer, so how was she murdered when he did not do it? Someone was forging his work. But he needed to keep a somewhat convincing act. He put his hands to his face, whimpering in sorrow.

Roxas was taken to see Naminé, after a heartbreaking response to the news of his love. He really had loved her, and seeing her pale face, peaceful, for the first time in two weeks, dead, he cried. And he did not care whether or not the men around him saw. This was his soul mate, and she had been murdered. By an unknown man pretending to be him. Roxas had never intended to kill Naminé, so now what was he supposed to do? He was alone, he was only working one job, the apartment would soon fall out of his grasp, something had to be done, his world was falling apart.

"Was there anything you saw that could have helped you find the murderer?" Roxas inquired.

"No, strangely, we have never been able to find any evidence of the Mansion Murderer's identity. Not even three years ago, there was nothing. Only the bodies and the blood, we apologize,"

The mystery ensued when Roxas returned home. Who was this man pretending to be him? And why did he get Naminé? _How _did he get Naminé? There were no traces of answers until a full week later, after Roxas was visited day after day by his friends.

"How've you been holding up?" Hayner was over with Riku and Kairi, all of whom were concerned for Roxas's well-being.

"I've been as fine as anyone would be in this kind of...situation," His mind was still boggled by who it was that managed to replicate his murders. Roxas had already gotten over Naminé, he had not fallen too deep in love with her. But he had to pretend, although she was not his troublesome issue.

"You know that if you need anything, you can call any one of us," Kairi said, as she grabbed her coat and went for the door. Riku stood shortly after, following her lead.

"We're all here for you, Roxas. Don't forget that, man." Riku agreed. His facial expression was blank, as it mostly was when he was around Roxas. Kairi, though, was unusually peppy, especially in this delicate time. Hayner was quiet, but he had become close to Naminé ever since Roxas and her got together, so her death hit him differently than it did the rest. So Riku and Kairi left, saying they needed to catch up with Sora. Hayner and Roxas were left, and things were quiet for a long time, until Roxas spoke up.

"What did you think of Naminé, Hayner?" It was a strange question, and it clearly caught Hayner off guard. He had had his face in his hands, now he was looking up at Roxas with a sort of bewildered look on his face.

"What?"

"What did you think of Naminé?"

"What do you mean? I mean...she, she was a good person," He sighed. Roxas watched and listened with intensity. "Yeah, she was a good person. Nice to everyone she saw, always willing to help. There was barely any time that she wasn't smiling, and she was always there to cheer us up when something went wrong. God, she was so optimistic and positive..." He went on for a few more minutes about her, and Roxas found himself getting mad and a little jealous of what Hayner had really thought of her.

"Hayner," He said, almost cutting him off at one point. "Did you love her?" Hayner was quiet.

"No, I...I don't know, Roxas. Did you?" He looked up, eyes questioning. Roxas was losing control. But he had to play along.

"I really think I did," He answered, a smile on his face. "But, I don't know, at the same time. I wont know if she was the one. I don't think Ill ever know, now..." After that, Hayner decided to leave. It was late, and he had work the next day. Roxas had taken the week off, otherwise he would have had to work as well. But when he was finally by himself, Roxas brooded over the situation in his mind, calculating everything.

_There was someone out there who had kidnapped Naminé and killed her in the way_ I _would have. They found no evidence of the killer, like they had found no evidence of my murders. So, they must have known how I would act and what I would really do. They must have studied the photos and the cases. But why Naminé? She was not supposed to be caught up in these sorts of things. Is...someone after me? Is someone posing as me to try and find me? But what are they planning? Who could it be?_

_Tonight, Kairi was almost happy about Naminé's death, or, that's what it looked like. And from what I found out a few years ago, Kairi had really been interested in me instead of Sora, and if that is still the situation, then she may have killed her in order to get close to me, and then she would move in from there. But she loved Naminé like a sister, they were best friends. Why would Kairi kill her? She should know I am not interested in her, anyway._

_Now, Riku, for his case, I have nothing to base his liability on. I cant read the guy, but I still can't rule him out as a possibility. The same goes for Sora, I haven't seen him since Naminé disappeared in the first place. I haven't even talked to him, since then, actually._

_And what about Hayner? Was he just putting on a mask like I am? Pretending that he cared for her? But if that's what he's doing, why would he kill her in the first place? There's nothing for him to gain from it. Of course, unless he's mad as I am, but I think that's unlikely. He could just want me back. To spend time together like we did all those years ago. But he wouldn't've had to go that far..._

There were plenty of reasons for each person to have been the one who killed Naminé, but there was no evidence. That is when Roxas remembered the note that was left on Naminé's pillow. He quickly rose from his place and opened the door to his lost lover's room, where the note sat crumpled in a ball on the floor. Sighing, he picked it up and left the room as he unfolded it. He entered his own room and turned on the lamp and desktop computer he had. The note made no sense. It was just a jumble of letters, no punctuation or spaces. If it was a code, he would crack it. If it wasn't a code, then he was out of luck and clues.

Hours passed as he researched ways to crack the code. He already knew that the most common letter in the English language was 'E,' so he could start there. But he also needed to know what the second most common letter was, and by what ratio. He would need to count the number of times each letter appears, and from that point on it would be a painstakingly long process of elimination. Finally, after beginning work on the note at 11:43pm, Roxas had successfully cracked, and finished translating it at 3:07am. After all, if you're going to crack a murderer's code,

"You have to think like the murderer himself,"

_Congratulations. You've found out what this cipher says, and I'm_

_sure that by now you've also found that your beloved Naminé has _

_long since passed. Of course, that was my doing. No hard _

_feelings, I hope. _

_But, on the other hand, I have held some very hard feelings for_

_quite a while, now. You don't know who I am, but I assume you_

_know that I killed the girl. And that will help you out, here._

_I have a task for you, Roxas. _

_You will first leave a cipher like this one, using this same code, _

_and leave it underneath the fifth stone from the end of the _

_entryway for this complex. I want to know that you've found this,_

_and then Ill have my fun. _

_Enjoy._

"Son of a bitch," Roxas uttered. He was angry, using Naminé to write this out in the way he instructed before killing her...so bringing it to the police now would only be a suicide, considering that the only prints they would find would be Naminé's and his own. That would be digging his own grave. At this point, he had no choice but to follow the killer's sick game. Roxas first wrote his responding note normally, and then translated it. It read,

_I've found the cipher. I've found Naminé. Now tell me where to_

_find you._

He went outside and left it under the fifth stone from the end of the entryway as instructed, and returned to his apartment. Whoever this guy was, he was smart. Roxas was unable to see the stone from his window. Within moments of waiting with nothing to occupy him, Roxas fell victim to sleep.

But when he awoke the next morning, the first thing he did was go out and check the stone. The note was gone, either carried away by the wind or picked up by the make-believe Mansion Murderer. Roxas had no contact from the person until three days later, after he had returned to work. When he opened the door to his apartment after a long day, the note was lying fresh on Naminé's floor. The door was left wide open, and the note was surely brand new. So, he was somehow entering the house without Roxas's knowing. But that really did not matter. He was only coming in to drop notes off, now. He had done the most damage, already.

After deciphering the new letter, Roxas's frustration only grew. It seemed like this guy was only looking to mess with Roxas, to play games until he got what he wanted.

_Good for you, I was beginning to worry that you hadn't looked_

_at the first note at all, seeing as you took so long to figure it_

_out. You've been home all this time, and you only just tried?_

_Oh, you're different from what I remember. But, then again,_

_back then, I had never thought of you as the kind of person_

_who would kill his friends like you tried to kill me._

_I won't tell you my name just yet, Roxas. I'm just beginning_

_my game. _

_I want you to go to the station in upper Twilight Town, and _

_climb the clock tower. At the top, there will be a little _

_something waiting there for you. You can go whenever you _

_like, and Ill leave you another message after you've visited_

_the tower. _

_Don't worry, Ill know when you have it._

Roxas did not have a day off until five days after he received the latest message. Of course, he saw his way right to the station clock tower, and at the top there was a brown paper bag, sitting in the lip before the edge of the tower. Walking over, he picked it up, and opened it. Inside, there was a knife, blood staining it. Roxas was taken aback at the sight of it, but yet he was not surprised. Putting the knife back inside the bag, he left the tower and returned home.

The stunning thing about the knife?

It was the same one Roxas had used to kill each one of his friends.

Another message was left in Naminé's room the next day, again, after he returned home. This was the shortest message he had received thus far, making the decoding a lot easier on him.

_I hope you recognize that trinket. It is yours after all._

_Next, you will go to the police station and request to _

_see Naminé. They will not decline you. Ask or examine_

_for yourself anything missing from her outer appearance._

_Go from there directly to the mansion. A gift will be _

_waiting for you on the door. Make sure you take it with_

_you._

"Is, there anything strange about her?"

"By that, what do you mean?" Roxas was at the police station, looking at the cold body of Naminé. They were holding her until Roxas decided whether or not to bury her, but he made it seem like he wanted to find the killer, first. He did, but it wasn't for Naminé's sake.

"Well," Roxas began. "I...I know she was killed by the Mansion Murderer, and I wanted to know if there were any specific marks that killer leaves on whomever he kills,"

"Hm. Well, I can see where you're coming from. And since you are who you are to her, I can tell you this," The analyst Roxas was with pulled down the white sheet that was over Naminé, revealing a crudely cut and bare area on her arm where the skin was removed. It was a large piece of skin, maybe two inches wide and three to four inches in length. Roxas acted like he was horrified, or a bit in shock, but not too much. That was, after all, the only thing he needed to see.

"This was the only thing that drove us away from believing that this wasn't the work of the Mansion Murderer," The analyst said.

"Why?"

"Because the Mansion Murderer usually left only single, fatal wounds on his victims. There was one case, though, where there was a fatal wound and some other, smaller, purposeful cuts on the body. This girl was stabbed with a knife, presumably the same one used on the others, only once, below the ribcage. A lung was punctured on the way in, but she ultimately died of blood-loss. It was that fact that made us believe it was the Mansion Murderer."

"Well, thank you for all of this. I appreciate it, uh..." Roxas said, shakily. He was still acting, and putting on a very convincing show. "Thanks," And with that, he turned around and left the station, heading for the old mansion. It had been quite a long time since Roxas had been there, and now he was being called out by force.

Walking up to the door of the mansion slowly, Roxas could see from afar that something was posted between the two doors. His heart beat picked up the closer he got.

"Holy..." On the door, stuck to it by a nail, was the missing piece of skin from Naminé's arm. It was the same shape, same size. Roxas had no choice but to reach out and take it. His fingers slipped, the skin had obviously been preserved, and because of that, it was slippery. The feeling made him shiver and cringe, but he had to take it. If he didn't, the game could not go on, and he would be left without answers.

This time, when he returned home, a note was waiting for him hanging from a string of fish-line attached to the ceiling, right in his line of sight. The note turned ominously, provoking Roxas only that much more.

_This final task has two parts, and then you will be lead_

_to the place in which I wait for your return. _

_I have left an object, a photograph, here in your home._

_I modified this photo to be your next clue, and whence _

_you find the photo, you will take it, and the gift I left you_

_today back to the mansion. I expect to see you now,_

_I am waiting inside. _

_Don't disappoint me, Roxas._

Throwing the note down, Roxas stood and rumbled through every drawer in his room, as well as in Naminé's. He flipped through every book they had, every magazine, every CD, under each mat and between each plate and inside every mug and plastic cup. He searched even in the refrigerator, but he found the photo taped to the wall behind a framed replica of the painting _Starry Night. _He tore the picture from the wall and was about to place it on the ground when he noticed what it was. It was the old picture of Roxas, Hayner, Olette and Pence outside of the mansion. On the opposite side, there was a photo that was taken only one month before graduation. It had Sora, Kairi, Riku, and Roxas in it. On both photos, Roxas's face had a red circle drawn around it. Hayner's face had a red 'X' covering it, as did Sora, Riku and Kairi's faces.

Realizing what it meant, Roxas dashed out of the room and into his car. He drove frantically back to the mansion, the photo in one hand, the skin in his jacket pocket. Running through the forest and walking sternly up to the mansion doors, he approached the doors confidently. He took a single deep breath, let it go, and pushed the doors open. Inside, there was a single figure standing in the middle of the room. Around him were four, individual heaps.

The doors echoed shut, and when all sound was gone from the room, the murderer turned slowly around, facing Roxas. His face was darkened by the light from the moon behind him, shadowing his identity. But then the figure moved a leg forward, stepping on something. A buzzing rang through the room, and florescent lights lit up the area.

When the blinding effect cleared from Roxas's vision, all around the figure were the bodies of Sora, Hayner, Kairi and Riku. Each one was bleeding out, dying, if not already dead. Puddles surrounded the figure, touching his boots, he stood in it all. Roxas held his hand up to his mouth in dismay. He couldn't believe his eyes, right in front of him, dead, where the only people in the world that he cared about. Sora, whom he had grown up with for nearly all of his life. Hayner, the best friend who taught him everything. Kairi, the happy girl who kept up spirits, and Riku, the one who kept Roxas from trouble again and again. They were all his closest friends, they were his real family, and now, they were dead. Right before his eyes.

A cackle rose from the figure, tearing Roxas from his horror. The voice was familiar, all too familiar. But, even with the light above their heads, Roxas was unable to see the man's features. He wore a thick hood, blocking most of his face.

"You like the lights?" The figure asked. "I hope you would. I set them up myself. I didn't want everything here to go unseen..."

"What are you doing?" Roxas demanded. The figure looked at him.

"Be specific," He said, a smirk on his face.

"Why are you here? Why did you kill my friends? Why are you doing any of this? What did I ever do to you, huh?"

Silence.

"Did you bring what I told you to?" He had dodged the question, but Roxas was in no mood to argue. Flicking the photo at the figure, he reached into this pocket and pulled out the slippery flesh, throwing it before the murderer's feet. Nodding, the figure looked up from the ground. "I am here to seek revenge." He said. "I killed your friends, because you killed mine. I am doing this because I want you to suffer as I did. You tried to kill me, three years and seven months ago today," Reaching down into his pocket, the figure pulled out Roxas's killing knife. Or, rather, the Mansion Murderer's weapon of choice. He charged Roxas, the knife in hand.

In a panic, Roxas barely managed to escape the blow. He got by with a rip in his shirt and a small cut on his side. Panting from the sudden move, he barely had time to dodge the second strike the figure tried to make. Roxas had to stay on his toes, this murderer meant business. He was fast, smooth, and unpredictable. He was grazed several times with the knife, but only given a deep slice once on his arm. In pain, Roxas was losing movement, only resulting in more cuts and more pain. And in one swift move, the murderer shifted his position in a way that made Roxas trip and fall backward onto the blood-blanketed floor. The feel of the cold liquid against his bare arms was chilling, but brought him a rush for only a split second. The murderer was now on top of him, holding one hand down with his knee and stepping on the wrist of the other arm. The murderer put his weight down through his legs, giving Roxas more pain and no movement. His hood still confided his features, and the knife was being pressed with little pressure on Roxas's throat.

"Tell me who you are, dammit!" The murderer was silent. "I want to look into the _eyes _of the man who kills me! Reveal your face!" A grin grew on the murderer's face as he laughed. He took the knife away from Roxas's throat to pull back his hood. Roxas's eyes grew wide when he saw the face of the man who had killed his friends, his family, his reasons for living. The feline features and beautifully piercing green eyes, the long and natural spikes in his hair.

"But, I..." Roxas was more than surprised, more than shocked. It was an emotion that has no word of its own that he had when he laid eyes on the scars he had left behind three years ago. "Axel," The red-headed figure looked down with hatred at Roxas, the grin now long gone. The look he gave was one of pure disgust toward Roxas, and twisting the knife in his free hand he looked down. "Axel, I thought..."

"You killed me? Ha, boy, you were wrong," He said with the same personality as he had all those years ago. "I was left alive, and stayed alive for two days in this mansion. Surrounded by my dead friends...Do you know what that's like, Roxas? Watching your friends die, having one slip away in your arms, and then waking up the next day, finding that you survived, and looking to one side only to see the open, wide and lifeless eyes of your closest friend?" His voice quivered as he remembered the night, the looks and the smell.

"How did you...Axel, why did you kill them, huh? Why...?"

"You ask why, now. Ha ha, you really don't know? Well, I wanted you to suffer just as much as you made me suffer. I killed all of the ones you cared about, just like you did to me," He held the knife close to his throat once more, leaning forward. The wounds below Axel's eyes that Roxas had left years aog had healed over, and had scarred a dark brown color below both eyes. It was meant to mark the tears he was crying for the friends who were killed in front of him, but he wasn't supposed to survive.

"You were strong," Roxas said. "Maybe I should have save you for last, huh?"

"No," Axel returned. "You will not have the chance to kill again. I may have becoming what you are, but now I am fulfilled. With this last kill I make, my life, and the lives of those I love and lost will not be in vain. You, Roxas, will die, right here, right now." He pressed the knife against Roxas's throat slowly, applying more pressure with each passing second. But he was not going to give in easily. He tried to speak, a thing that was only harder and harder, with the knife being pressed so hard.

"Axel, Axel, listen to me, c'mon, you...you know I didn't mean for, for you to ha, you know...live like this,"

"You tried to kill me," He gritted his teeth, pushing the knife down harder, making Roxas cough.

"Yeah, but wouldn't you have liked to die more than...than to live? If you had died instead, I'm sure you would have, have been-" Axel's eyes flared, he took the knife away from Roxas's throat and instead took hold of it with his free hand, the knife still gripped in his other hand, ready for use. He pushed some of his weight down through his arm, squeezing Roxas's throat hard. He coughed for air, but was given none, only the stare of Axel's flaming eyes.

"If I had died, there would be no one _left _to avenge the ones you killed!" Axel took away his hand, and used both hands to grip the knife handle. Roxas had barely enough time to take a single breath before Axel shouted the last words he would ever hear. _"I'll see you in Hell, bastard!"_ The knife was plunged into the chest of Roxas, the layers of organs and muscles being penetrated and felt through the handle of the knife one by one. Blood seeped from the wound immediately, soaking the ground beneath him. Axel watched Roxas as he went, watching him as the last traces of light vanished from his eyes. Standing, Axel began to laugh.

The doors to the mansion were kicked open loudly, and in rushed five men in officer uniform. They were shouting something, but stopped halfway through, seeing Axel covered with blood and a near-dead Roxas on the floor, accompanied by the bodies of four others.

"Freeze!" Axel instead made a rush for the back door, and guns where fired. Two of the shots made contact with Axel's body and sent him to the ground hard. Blood came out of the wounds, once again coating the mansion floor with his blood. Axel yelled,

"Roxas!" He cried out in pain and hatred. "You, you...!" Another shot was fired, this time, rendering Axel nearly lifeless. Roxas, who laid already in the hands of death, laughed.

"If you're going to pretend to be a murderer you're not, Axel..." He winced in pain, whispering his final words. "You should be prepared for anything..."

Roxas, Kairi, Hayner, Sora and Riku, all were dead on the floor. Axel's life was slowly slipping from him, for the second time in his life. But this second battle could not be won. He was not prepared, and so, with his attempt at killing Roxas fulfilled, Axel died satisfied, knowing his true family's deaths were not in vain.

The Mansion Murders were never completely solved, the knowledge of Roxas's murder of twelve people, and the attempted murder of another was never released to the public eye, and was never known by any force. Naminé's killer was never found out by anyone, although both Roxas and Axel had known that Axel was the one who killed her. Hayner, Kairi, Sora and Riku were presumably killed by Axel, but there was no evidence to prove it was him, although both Roxas and Axel had known that Axel had kill all of them, as well. Roxas's death was announced, and it was proven that Axel had killed him.

Eighteen people were killed in the mansion.

The mansion has not been lived in for years.

Some say that you can see the figure of a girl in the second story window.

The gates were chained closed, a lock blocking anyone from entering the mansion again. The mansion was never touched, never entered, never visited for years. The Twilight Town Mansion Murders would forever remain a mystery to the public, thus giving the home the nickname, "The Haunted Mansion."

* * *

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